Música

The movie at times can be generic yes, however I noticed them film is shot almost like someone has experience with directing a stage performance.

I could tell with the transitions with physical set dressing and using staging making the locations also part of the movie.

The movie itself I feel like it has some great moments, I do think the weakest park is probably the script as it was lacking emotion that you would usually find in a romcom.

With that in mind, I am happy it didn't run with the by the numbers "Musician is talented but lost the will to do the things he loved until a woman come into his life". Instead he is what he is and continues to push forward.

I love this movie. Especially the good music and a fresh perspective. The creative portrayal of synesthesia was fun. I can see how it could wear on you hearing music all of the time. It would be distracting for me and irritating to others.

I appreciate the courage to address racism and mental health in a healthy, more relaxed way; without making it overly dramatic or angry or losing the focus of the film. This is a rom com.

I enjoyed Rudy's sense of humor and seeing how he engages with people in different relationships and situations. He is a sweet guy and a good man. Now I only wish he had a single uncle to send my way! LOL.

While I thought the film had a very new and unique style about it that I enjoyed, and many funny moments sprinkled in and out (the scene at the Brazilian restaurant had me laughing in tears), parts of the main story line were hard to get behind.

Rudy's relationship with Isabella just seemed to have so many holes in it. In a way it almost seemed as if her character was more of a figment of his imagination than one of actual reality. It was hard for me to understand the dynamic between these two characters or how their relationship with one and other even started.

As for how the movie ended it was one of those upsetting endings that never fully closed off the story. Also the person that Rudy became seemed so far fetched for me to really buy into that sort of narrative

Overall I think there were too many conflicting elements to the story for it to be something great. I'm happy to have watched this for the new and interesting visuals, catchy beats and laughable moments, though without the backbone of a unified and coherent story, it started to feel like watching this movie was just a waste of time.

5 stars!

You may have enjoyed Rudy Mancuso's YouTube and Awkward Puppets videos, but nothing prepares you for his breezy, endlessly playful and inventive feature film directing and co-writing debut.

The apparently autobiographical plot is a simple coming of age romantic comedy, but Mancuso peppers the film with rhythm, music, and delightful sight gags that tweak film conventions and keep the story tripping along in a seemingly effortless way.

Bonus points for terrific romantic chemistry between the two leads, pitch perfect pacing and casting across the board, wonderful use of color, and the feature film debut that Diego the puppet deserves!

So, Rudy Mancuso wrote and directed 'Musica', and in it he stars as Rudy, a person with synesthesia, a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. In this movie Rudy mostly experiences this in everyday sounds, kids playing ball, cooks tapping their utensils, bus and subway sounds, those sorts of things. But to him they are rhythms and music.

In real life this is Rudy Mancuso. In real life he is an accomplished musician, he is a puppeteer, so this movie is mostly autobiographical. The fictional part is having a 'gringa' for a girlfriend and realizing that they weren't really a good fit for each other.

Then one faithful day Rudy is picking up fish at the local market and gets hit on his face with a fish thrown by one of the workers. In that process he meets fellow Brazilian, Camila Mendes as Isabella. Continuing the reflection of real life, Rudy and Camilla met during the making of this movie and now, in real life they are a couple.

It also appears that Rudy's movie mother, Maria, is played by his real mother, Maria, although I can't find out anything about her.

All that aside, is it an entertaining movie? Yes, it is. While the bare-bones rom-com story follows a mostly familiar formula, the way the movie is made is unique and quirky. It was refreshing to watch a movie presented in a totally different manner.

My wife and I watched it at home, streaming on Amazon Prime.